The Times We Lost
by Falneou17
Summary: It has been several years since Afterglow was a thing, and every member has gone their own way since their last performance together. But what happens when a fateful re-encounter takes place for the girls? Their bonds are put to the test as old memories resurface, and hopes of things that couldn't be return. Mainly BlueFlora.
1. A Fateful Encounter

**First of all: Happy birthday, Ran!**

 **Here we are with a BlueFlora (Mitake Ran x Aoba Moca) fanfic. How will this go? I have no idea, either. But let's find out, shall we?**

 **Cover image is unidolized initial Moca 3*.**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own BanG Dream!, nor do I, in any way, shape or form, intend to pretend that I do.**

* * *

 _The day had finally come._

 _After countless of hours of practice, the pride of Haneoka Girls' High School found herself doing the final sound testing to make sure that all the instruments were in working order. Strumming a few chords in preparation, the vocalist had to hide a smile as the sound reverberated cleanly through the area. The sound system was even better than they had been promised, and this only meant good news for them._

 _Taking a deep breath, Ran stood up and locked her eyes with the tall drummer in front of her. She was already seated and in position to play, and merely nodded with a small smile in response. Despite hiding it well and managing to hide it from everybody else, Ran knew her childhood friend well enough to see the nervousness that she was hiding._

 _Glancing to her left, Ran saw how the keyboardist was fumbling around with the vast multitude of buttons on the instrument. To anyone who didn't know her, she would have seemed like she was just doing things randomly, but Ran knew better. The brunette was the keyboardist for a reason, and neither Ran nor anybody else in the group doubted her skills in the slightest._

 _The next person to lock eyes with her was the bassist on her left who, despite her anxious fumbling from earlier, appeared rather calm right now. She gave Ran a quick smile when she noticed that she was being watched before getting in position on the right._

 _"You didn't tie it correctly," a teasing yet gentle voice shook Ran back to her senses, but the vocalist relaxed when she processed who had said those words to her, "Here, let me help you."_

 _Looking to her right, Ran saw the focused look on the guitarist's face as she loosened the scarf around her right arm before retying it again. Making sure to tie it tightly but not too tight, the guitarist nodded in satisfaction when she finally let go of Ran's arm._

 _"Thanks, Moca," Ran muttered, soft enough to prevent the other three from hearing her but clear enough for the retreating guitarist to do so. Picking up her own guitar, Ran turned to all four of her waiting friends with a determined look, "All right, it's time. Let's go!"_

* * *

Ran frowned as she looked at the illuminated phone's screen for the tenth time that day. No matter how many times she took it out, she knew that the message on it wouldn't change.

Himari was planning a reunion after all these years.

Ran sighed, taking a sip of her coffee while considering her options. It wasn't that she didn't want to meet her childhood friend again, but that it was the memory of her last live that was still weighing down on her mind. So instead, Ran decided to look out the window beside her to try and clear her thoughts a little.

It was a nice day, and a lot of the citizens decided that it would be a waste to spend it indoors. Ran found the corners of her lips tug up as she watched a family of three walk past her. Despite the sun shining brightly, it was still cold for that time of year and the brunette was thankful that she was inside the café with a warm cup of coffee.

The serene peace was shattered when Ran's phone buzzed. Scrambling to get it, almost knocking over her cup in the process, she looked at the screen. Almost hesitant, she picked it up a second later.

"What is it, Himari?"

 _"Aw, that's no way to greet an old friend, right?"_

That was definitely Himari, all right. Ran silently groaned, but managed to keep her tone flat when she talked again, "That aside, why did you call me?"

 _"Isn't a friend allowed to call a friend?"_ Ran had to give her credit: Himari had always been known to put everybody else before herself. Before she knew it, Ran found herself smiling at the image of the pink-haired girl going out of her way to make sure that she of all people was feeling well, _"But in all seriousness, I was wondering what you are doing. I sent you that message about our reunion, right? Do you think you can make it?"_

"… Sorry, I'm busy," Ran replied, even before she was fully aware that she had already given her answer.

 _"Busy? Busy with what?"_

"You know… the usual," Ran mumbled as she picked up her cup again and stared at the swirling liquid with a distant look in her eyes.

 _"Such as drinking coffee in the Ruru Café?"_

That got Ran's attention. Jerking up and looking around to spot her friend, Ran almost shouted, "What are you talking about?"

 _"Oh, come on now, Ran. How many black haired women with a red streak in their hair on the left and who wear a black jacket that is red on the inside with a white shirt and black pants out there?"_

"What—?"

 _"I'm_ outside _the Ruru Café, Ran."_

Turning her head slowly, almost as if afraid to confirm what she already knew was there, Ran looked out the window beside her.

And true enough, there she was. An ecstatically waving Himari just outside the café.

Ran couldn't do anything in response to this other than lower her phone in defeat and pressing the button to end the call. Resting her head on the edge of the table, she waited patiently for what was about to come.

When she heard footsteps approach her, Ran didn't even need to look up to know who had just joined her at the table.

"So, Ran," Himari cheered not even a second after plopping down on the couch across from her childhood friend. Apparently, she was impressed as she looked down with a beaming smile, "Oh, wow, these are so comfy!"

"Himari…" Ran sighed, not wanting to urge her childhood friend on but knowing full well what the alternative would be, "Why are you here again?"

"Oh, right!" Himari chuckled as she dug in her pockets for something before fishing out an envelope. Grinning, she placed it on the table and slid it towards Ran, "Here, I'm sure that you would want this."

"And if I don't?" Ran asked slowly, not wanting to sound rude but trusting the person sitting opposite from her to understand what she was really saying.

"Ran, it's been four years," Himari said with a downcast glance, her tone softening to reveal the sadness that the speaker was feeling. That she had probably been carrying ever since that day. And that made Ran feel even worse than before.

Ran remained silent, trying to figure out what she truly wanted. Her train of thoughts was broken when she heard the footsteps moving away from her.

Looking up, Ran saw that Himari was standing by the table with a soft smile and looking ready to leave at any moment.

"None of us are making you do anything that you wouldn't want to do yourself, Ran," Himari started as she grabbed her purse, "But if any of us meant anything to you, then please open that and be there. You'll understand, I promise. Just don't do anything that you'll regret later, okay?"

And without saying another word or even allowing Ran to utter a response, Himari left the café in a much more solemn and serious way than she had entered earlier.

This left Ran alone with her thoughts, her coffee, and the envelope that Himari had left her.

Ran reached out for the envelope, but something stopped her. A flash of images appeared in front of her mind's eye and she groaned. The pain that she felt on that day came rushing back, and she hesitated.

"That Himari…" Ran muttered with a sigh once she regained her composure. She grabbed the offending object before taking one last sip of her coffee and grimacing.

Cold.

* * *

Three hours had passed since Ran had her short chat with Himari, and she was now finding herself in her apartment going through her stack of clothes. With the envelope open on her bed's sheets, Ran took a sideways glance at the contents of it. She bit her lower lip, flinching slightly at the sudden jolt of pain, when she saw it again.

Himari didn't lie. It really _did_ make Ran want to go.

The only problem was trying to find a decent outfit to go out there again. Ran had convinced herself that she needed to wear a good set of clothes, but that was almost two hours ago.

"I've wasted enough time as it is already," Ran grumbled to herself, annoyed after having seen the time displayed on the clock, before going with her usual outfit, "As usual… huh?"

Picking up her black jacket from the coat hanger again and putting it on as she walked down the stairs, Ran checked her phone again to make sure that she had read the address correctly.

She did, and she didn't know if she had preferred it over the alternative.

Regardless of this, Ran made her way down the familiar road and started to zone out as memories started to come flooding back in.

It was the same road that she went through when she was still in junior high school. Even though it has been almost a decade since then, Ran could still vividly remember the minute detail around her.

"I'm glad that it is still here," Ran muttered with a smile as her eyes landed on the playground on the other side of the road. While she herself didn't play there a lot in the past, it was comforting to know that something of her past still remained to this day.

A light breeze picked up and reminded Ran that she still had to get somewhere. Picking up her pace a little after zipping her jacket up, she continued to walk for another ten minutes in silence when something else struck her.

What was she even going to say when she would see her friends again after so long?

Ran frowned, mentally berating herself for forgetting such an important aspect but forced herself to think about it while walking. Not only didn't she spend any time with any of her friends in the past four years, she barely spoke with any of them either.

This only made Ran more anxious.

Unconsciously, she slowed down again as she started to think of ways to start a conversation with her childhood friends. Ran knew that she wasn't the best at this, but she also knew that she had the responsibility to do at least this much after everything that has happened.

Ran came back to her reality when she collided with something. Or, when she looked up, with someone.

"I'm sorry, I—?" Ran began, but her voice died out in her throat when she saw who she had just run into. She didn't know what to say or do in the situation that she found herself in, only able to stare at the other person. But Ran was sure of one thing.

She wasn't ready for this.

She wasn't ready for this at all.

* * *

 **And that wraps up the first chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, please leave a review on your way, and I will see you next time! Take care!**


	2. The Reunion

**The joys of a small fandom: the ratio between reviewers to readers is a lot better here than any of my other fandoms. I am glad that everybody enjoyed the first chapter, so let's get started with the second! But before that…**

 **Happy birthday, Tomoe!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to BanG Dream, otherwise BlueFlora would be canon. And Afterglow would be more popular…**

* * *

Ran came back to her reality when she collided with something. Or, when she looked up, with someone.

"I'm sorry, I—?" Ran began, but her voice died out in her throat when she saw who she had just run into. She didn't know what to say or do in the situation that she found herself in, only able to stare at the other person. But Ran was sure of one thing.

She wasn't ready for this.

"Ran?"

Ran couldn't run, not now that she was face to face with someone she had been avoiding for several years now. Defeated and not knowing what else to do, she returned the greeting.

"It's… been a while…" Ran mumbled as she rubbed the back of her neck, making sure that she avoided the gaze of the other person. Softly, she added, "…Tomoe."

The person whom Ran had literally run into was indeed Ran's childhood friend and former bandmate, Udagawa Tomoe. She was wearing a teal jacket over a black shirt and jeans and, much to Ran's surprise, had cut her hair considerably shorter than the last time she saw her.

Tomoe smiled once the shock had dissipated, and almost immediately tried to close the distance that both of them knew was there. In more ways than one.

"It sure has," Tomoe nodded in confirmation, her eyes looking around as she, too, was unable to look her childhood friend directly in the eye, "So… should we head inside?"

"R-Right…" Ran muttered, more to herself than to Tomoe, as she followed the still taller friend inside the family restaurant across the block.

The inside of the restaurant was brightly lit, and Ran had to admit, very calming, almost as if inviting Ran and Tomoe with open arms. The walls were decorated with an assortment of different paintings that somehow struck a chord with Ran.

"Say, Tomoe?" Ran began as she was eyeing one of those paintings, trying and succeeding in getting Tomoe's attention, "Why do they look familiar? I feel like I have seen them before."

It wasn't Tomoe, however, who answered Ran's question.

"You've seen some of them before, Ran," a familiar, cheerful voice said, alerting the two to her entrance before she was actually fully in view. Sure enough, and wearing the same outfit that Ran saw her in earlier that day, Uehara Himari walked into view with a bright grin on her face, "This restaurant is owned by the Tsurumaki company."

That didn't help Ran a whole lot, but by the look on Tomoe's face, it wasn't some random nonsense that was being spouted here. Himari noticed this and tried to elaborate.

"Their daughter is in a band and—" Himari tried, but stopped immediately once she realized her mistake. With her breath held, she watched Ran for a reaction.

"Oh."

Without another word, Ran walked past Himari and Tomoe and sat down at the nearest unoccupied table.

"Sorry…" Himari muttered to Tomoe once Ran was out of earshot, the pinkette fumbling with the hem of her shirt as she was trying to ease her nerves, "I really shouldn't have said that."

"Don't let it get to you, I wasn't able to do much better," Tomoe reassured her friend as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "Where is Tsugu?"

"I think she said something about running late," Himari replied as she looked around a bit. Letting out a soft sigh that didn't go unnoticed by Tomoe, she added, "We should probably join Ran."

"Right," Tomoe trailed off as she remembered the last time that they had made Ran wait unnecessarily. Tomoe shuddered at the memory and decided to just go ahead with Himari's plan. Himari wasn't far behind.

Once the two of them sat down at the table that Ran had chosen, they were comfortable for about five seconds when the next issue came up.

"So—" Ran tried after putting down the menu that she was holding, but was interrupted.

"Tsugu should be here any second now, I think," Himari said as she leaned forward, trying to get a better view of the rest of the restaurant and spot the brunette sooner. Her position did, in fact, help her field of vision, but it also prevented her from seeing the change in Ran's expression.

"Ran, have you figured out what you're ordering?" Tomoe asked, not letting Ran's mood change go unnoticed, "I heard that the karaage here are especially good."

Ran had already opened her mouth to respond to Tomoe, but was once again forced to close it as someone else took over. This only made her more irritated than she was before.

"Tsugu~ over here!" Himari cheered, waving wildly and barely missing Tomoe who sat beside her while doing so, "Ah, sorry Tomoe."

"It's all right," Tomoe sighed, scooting a bit away from Himari to avoid the next wave and smiling as the newcomer took her seat beside Ran, "Good to see you again, Tsugu."

"It's good to see everybody healthy and well," Tsugumi smiled in response as she looked at everybody at the table. A few mumbles of agreement followed, but nothing really developed beyond that. Eventually, Tsugumi grew quiet as well, unable to find ways to keep the conversation going.

The four of them eventually decided to make their orders and were now left to just wait for their meals to arrive. A short, uncomfortable silence followed soon after, and Tsugumi took it upon herself to try and break it, "So, Himari-chan, what have you been doing lately?"

"Ah, me?" Himari asked, caught slightly off guard as she was twirling her hair around her finger. Now the center of attention, she had to quickly think of something to say, "Nothing special, really. I just stay in my room all day studying."

Tsugumi seemed like she was about to respond to Himari's confession, but she stopped when she saw that Tomoe was on her feet, "Tomoe-chan?"

"Sorry, I have to get this," Tomoe said with an apologetic smile, motioning to her vibrating phone as she quickly put on her jacket again, "I'll be back in a bit."

And with that, Tomoe left the restaurant to answer the call, leaving the other three in a somewhat confused situation.

Himari was the first to realize this, but she didn't have time to let it bother her too long.

"I'm sorry, I'll be right back too," Himari apologized quickly, muttering something about a bathroom break while getting up from her seat.

Himari rushed off in the wrong direction before Tsugumi could call out to her, showing her the right way. An embarrassed Himari left a smiling Tsugumi and a slightly amused Ran behind.

'I'm glad that everybody is still the same as always, even after all this time has passed,' Ran thought to herself, the corners of lips curving upwards slightly but were stopped before they could make a full smile appear.

"Poor Himari-chan," Tsugumi said as she took her seat again, noticing the look on Ran's face and immediately started to think of a way to lighten the mood, "So, Ran-chan. What have you been doing lately?"

"The usual, I suppose…" Ran responded before she realized what was happening, eliciting a light chuckle from the last remaining friend as the memory resurfaced in both of their minds, "I'm looking for a good Masters program now that I'm almost graduating."

"As expected of Ran-chan!" Tsugumi beamed, proud of her childhood friend and glad that she was somewhat finding her way in life, "But what does Ran-chan want to do?"

"I—" Ran began but stopped her sentence there. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell her friend, it's that she couldn't.

A cold chill ran up Ran's spine, and memories of times long gone started to resurface in front of her mind's eye. Painful memories. Memories of _that_ day.

Ran groaned, digging her nails deep into her scalp to shake off the memory. She knew that she was probably making an unnecessary scene but at the same time she felt reassurance knowing that the restaurant was almost empty.

A pair of gentle but firm hands found their way on either of Ran's shoulders, and the pain that she was feeling almost immediately vanished. Ran took a few deep breaths, making sure that she had regained her composure, before muttering a small thank you.

"Are you okay, Ran-chan?" Tsugumi asked carefully, her face full of worry. Locking her gaze with Tsugumi, Ran knew instantly that Tsugumi knew what Ran just remembered.

"I'll be fine," Ran breathed out after a short pause, knowing that she couldn't keep it a secret from Tsugumi even if she tried. Or any of her friends for that matter.

"If you say so…" Tsugumi trailed off, slight uncertainty clearly audible in her voice. Ran knew her enough, however, to know that Tsugumi not pushing further was a sign of trust, and she appreciated it, "It's a good thing that the restaurant is almost empty, then."

"About that…" Ran began, only then realizing what Tsugumi said was true. It was a holiday and what was supposed to be the busiest time of a restaurant, but Ran didn't see anyone aside from her childhood friends or the staff, "Don't you think that it is a bit strange?"

"Yeah," Tsugumi answered, a bit uncomfortably. Ran turned to look at her, and noticed just how uncomfortable Tsugumi was.

"Tsugumi?" this time it was Ran who was asking the careful question, genuinely worried about her as she was starting to fidget nervously in her chair.

"I'm okay I'm okay," Tsugumi answered, a bit too quickly to be believable but Ran let it slide.

The two of them shared a moment of silence together, neither knowing how to break it. That was until someone else broke it for them.

The distinct sound of a door opening reverberated through the otherwise quiet restaurant, and this shook Tsugumi back to her senses. But not in the way that Ran had expected it to.

"I think that is my cue," Tsugumi suddenly said not long after, confusing Ran.

"What cue?"

Tsugumi merely smiled in Ran's direction, picking up her purse as she stood up from her seat before heading to the exit.

"Wait! Tsugumi!" Ran called out, jumping to her feet and about to follow her friend, but then it happened.

That cold chill moving up her spine was back.

Ran had to quickly grasp for her chair to prevent herself from falling face first on the floor, but a pair of warm hands caught her and broke her fall.

Ran looked up, expecting to see Tsugumi who had run back for her, Himari who finally got herself out of the bathroom, or even Tomoe after re-entering the restaurant. Ran's eyes widened when she saw who caught her, and even more so when she realized who it was.

She couldn't move. Not only because this woman held her in place, but because of who she was. Ran opened her mouth, wanting to say so many things, but none of them came out.

Except for one.

"Moca…"

* * *

 **And that is all for today! I hope you guys enjoyed today's chapter, please leave a review telling me what you thought, and I will see all of you again next time! Take care!**


	3. The Dream and the Absolution

**Well, the finale aired earlier today. But that aside, let's keep this story going!**

 **Disclaimer's the same as always. I do not own BanG Dream!**

* * *

 _Cold._

 _That was the first thing that came to Ran's mind as she stepped through the threshold of the door, following the group in front of her. The pure and untainted white of the walls inside were in stark contrast to how the girl was feeling on the inside._

 _The next thing that Ran knew was the uncomfortable feeling of the metal chair that she was sitting on. With her hands balled into fists, the vocalist looked up to see what she knew was already there. The red light above the door hadn't faded since she was told to wait outside, and that was a couple of hours ago._

 _Ran tried to calm down, but found that it was a lot harder than she thought it would be. The red light above her was still being an annoying presence in her peripheral, and the tense air wasn't helping much either._

 _To make matters worse, the nearby television set was reporting on what happened less than an hour ago, and it was driving Ran insane._

 _But that was only the least of her problems._

 _"Ran, we have to go."_

 _Ran's head jolted up when she processed those words. Turning to look in the direction the voice came from, Ran's gaze landed on a very familiar face._

 _"Ran—"_

 _"No!" Ran shouted. A bit too loud, she realized, when she saw that people around her stopped what they were doing to watch them._

 _Ran couldn't care less about any of them._

 _"I'm not leaving!" Ran announced, her eyes automatically darting to the door beside her before going back to the man in front of him, "Not now!"_

 _"Ran!"_

* * *

"Ran!"

Ran sat up with a jolt, panting heavily as the memory was still ingrained in her mind. She could still feel the emotions from that day rush back, and she shuddered heavily.

It was then that she felt a pair of warm arms embrace her, and while she stiffened slightly at the sudden contact, Ran found herself leaning into the touch. It was familiar, it was nice, and it was welcoming.

Ran calmed down considerably after that, her breathing and heartbeat evening out in only a matter of minutes.

"Hold on… I live alone," Ran mumbled to herself once she regained her composure enough to remember that crucial fact. A light, amused, and almost teasing chuckle came from somewhere near her right ear before Ran felt the arms retreat. Turning around, Ran's eyes widened in shock.

"Moca! I—" Ran tried, before she was forcefully silence when the other woman placed her index finger gently but firmly on Ran's lips.

"It's okay, Ran," Moca smiled before a glint appeared behind her green orbs. Using her index and middle fingers, she pushed on the corners of Ran's mouth, forcing the former vocalist to smile. Moca giggled, "See? Ran's smile is as cute as ever."

"Stop that!" Ran mumbled while pushing Moca's hand away, eliciting another giggle. Desperate to no longer be the center of attention, Ran tried to change the topic, "Why are you in my apartment anyway?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Moca wondered out loud but didn't wait for a reply to pick back up, "Let's see… you brought me to a bar, intoxicated me, and dragged me here to—"

"Moca!"

"All right all right," Moca smiled as she sat down on the other couch after gently putting down the plate of bitter sweets on the table, "It was getting late and Ran offered me to stay over for the night, insisting that I could take the bed while she took the couch."

"That…" Ran trailed off, eyeing the plate before instinctively taking and munching on one of the sweets, "I can't remember."

"Ran was really exhausted last night, so I'm not surprised," Moca smiled before the two fell silent again.

Ran was still trying to process everything that happened these past two days alone. Not only did she meet everybody who she was avoiding for years, but none of them seemed to be too upset about it. As a matter of fact, they all seemed happy to see her.

It was Moca who broke the silence again.

"So, Ran…" Moca began, urging Ran to look up and see the uneasiness in her face. As Ran was trying to figure out why, Moca spoke again, "What were you dreaming about?"

"…The usual," Ran muttered, flinching when she realized what she said even before Moca's giggle reached her ears. Ran was about to tell Moca to stop when she realized that it got quiet again.

Looking up, Ran saw the solemn look on Moca's face, having forgotten how serious Moca can be at times.

"'The usual', huh…? I thought so," Moca sighed before not one but two pairs of eyes turned to look at the same thing for a brief second. Moca broke free first, grabbing Ran's hand and, by doing so, her attention, "It's okay, Ran. I don't blame you for what happened; none of us do. Just—"

"Don't you see?" Ran exclaimed, interrupting Moca and pulling back her hand forcefully, "What I did back then… how can you forgive me so easily? It was—"

Unfortunately for Moca, she would never find out what it was that Ran did as a phone decided to choose that moment to ring loudly. Ran's phone.

Giving Moca a silent apology, Ran picked up the offending object and held it by her ear.

"Yes, what is it?" Ran asked in the speaker, slightly more annoyed than usual. Her expression changed instantly when she heard who had called her, "Do I have to? … all right, I will be there."

"Who was that?" Moca asked, curious as she eyed Ran with a careful eye.

"It's… Tomoe," Ran replied as she grabbed a change of clothes and went on to head to her room when she realized something, "If you get ready then I can drop you off on the way."

"Yeah, about that…" Moca trailed off, visibly uneasy as she was avoiding eye contact with Ran all the while. This only made Ran even more interested as Moca was never one to avoid eye contact in the past.

The past…

Ran quickly shook her head to regain her composure, and just in time to hear what Moca was saying next.

"I have a favor to ask Ran."

* * *

Not even an hour later and Ran found herself in front of the Ruru Café, slightly anxious at what she would find beyond those doors. Taking a deep breath, and knowing that she was on the late side of things, Ran stepped inside.

"Ran, over here!"

Despite feeling slightly flustered at the sudden attention that she was getting, Ran couldn't help but smile slightly. Some things never changed, and Ran was glad that they didn't. Looking in the direction of the voice for a familiar face, it wasn't long until she found her.

'Though finding Tomoe in a crowd isn't _too_ difficult,' Ran thought to herself with a smile as she walked over before sitting down at the table.

"You're looking cheerful today," Tomoe smiled once Ran was seated, the amusement not going unnoticed by Ran as she eyed the taller woman. Tomoe took the hint fairly quickly as she cleared her throat soon after before continuing, "Sorry for calling you out here so sudden, but there is something that I need to ask you."

"It's Moca, isn't it?" Ran asked before giving Tomoe a chance to say anything. Much to her surprise, Tomoe shook her head.

"It's not Moca who I wanted to talk about, it's you," Tomoe clarified, her demeanor turning serious as she turned to Ran, "It's been so many years since we were last able to sit down and talk like this, and I wanted to catch up with you."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Even Ran was surprised at the sudden response, but she didn't do anything. She kept her gaze away from Tomoe and fixated upon the tree by the street.

It was because of this that Ran was even more surprised by the soft chuckle that she heard.

"So it is true," Tomoe had her eyes closed, but Ran knew that look on her face; Tomoe just learned something and managed to piece something together.

"What is true?" Ran inquired, curious to find out but knowing. However, even Ran wasn't as naïve as to put her hopes up too high. Tomoe wasn't known to be saying everything that was on her mind, and sure enough…

"You just confirmed my suspicions, that's all," Tomoe said with a smile before nodding solemnly, "Ran, I know that you don't want to talk about it, but know that none of us blame you for it."

"Easy for you to say…" Ran muttered softly, but she knew that those five words weren't left unheard.

"Tsugu and Himari, and even Moca… I can confidently say that none of us are holding it against you what happened that day," Tomoe pushed on, knowing that Ran needed to hear those words.

And in a weird way, Ran was happy. She had been running from her past for so long that hearing those words from someone who was involved meant more than she could put into words.

But there was still one thing on Ran's mind.

"Why?"

This took Tomoe by surprise, and this shocked Ran; she had expected her friend to at least expect that she would be a bit on the wary side.

"Why do you forgive me so easily?" Ran asked, almost hysterically so as she looked Tomoe right in the eyes, "After everything I've done? People got hurt because of me! All of you suffered because of me after I abandoned all of you! How can you so willingly accept me back in after all the trouble that I've caused?"

A short silence followed where Ran's heavy and uneven breathing was the only thing that broke it. A period of time that was probably only a couple of seconds felt like hours to Ran, and she hated it. She hated how long it felt.

"You still don't get it, do you?" Tomoe's gentle voice caught Ran by surprise and Ran looked up in time to see the redhead nod to someone behind her.

Following Tomoe's line of vision, Ran's eyes widened. Two brightly smiling, very familiar faces were standing right behind her.

"It's not trouble for us, Ran," Himari smiled as she turned to the brunette beside her, "Right?"

"That's right!" Tsugumi nodded enthusiastically before both she and Himari turned simultaneously to Ran's direction, "But instead of separating yourself and making us worry, we'd rather you share your burdens with us. We're your friends, right?"

That did it.

Ran bit her lower lip in an effort to keep herself under control but knew that it was too late. The familiar feeling of a damp streak on either cheek came back, and it wasn't long until Ran found herself curling up into a ball to stop the shaking.

"I… I'm… s…s…so…r…ry…" Ran barely audibly managed to say as three pairs of arms supported her. Comforted her.

"It's okay."

"Everything is all right."

Ran stayed that way for what could very well have been days, but eventually, she raised her head when she heard her name.

"But we're not the ones you should be saying that to," Tomoe's voice finally reached Ran's ears, and the former vocalist nodded, "Then you know what you need to do."

"Right…" Ran said as she took a deep breath. Accepting the hands of both Tomoe and Himari, she felt herself get pulled back on her feet, and with Tsugumi pushing her forward, Ran knew.

Ran knew that everything was going to be all right now.

* * *

 **And that wraps up this chapter. Hope you all enjoyed it, please leave a review telling me what you think, and until next time! Take care!**


	4. Ran's Decision

**To think that I enjoy writing this BanG Dream! fanfiction this much… I hope you guys enjoy it as well, as here is yet another chapter!**

 **Disclaimer? You mean I haven't made it clear enough that I don't own it?**

* * *

 _"It's not trouble for us, Ran," Himari smiled as she turned to the brunette beside her, "Right?"_

 _"That's right!" Tsugumi nodded enthusiastically before both she and Himari turned simultaneously to Ran's direction, "But instead of separating yourself and making us worry, we'd rather you share your burdens with us. We're your friends, right?"_

The words of her friends still echoed in her mind, resonating with her as she let out a small breath. Ran knew, if she was being honest with herself, exactly what she had to be doing now…

"But actually doing it is another thing altogether, huh?" Ran muttered to herself with half of a smile.

Three days have passed since Ran met up with her friends, but even in that period of time, she wasn't able to do the one thing that she had set out to do. And this fact continued to gnaw at her from the back of her mind in every waking moment.

It was a nice day, a lot warmer than it had been for a while but still cold enough for everybody to wear an extra layer of clothing. Ran herself was wearing a gray hoodie over a white shirt and black pants, and she was glad for the warmth that the hoodie provided.

Currently, Ran found herself strolling through the streets on her own, hands in her pockets and content at glancing at the products displayed in the stores.

As Ran's eyes glazed over the many sets of clothes worn by the mannequins, she started to remember something that happened not too long ago.

* * *

 _"Yeah, about that…" Moca trailed off, visibly uneasy as she was avoiding eye contact with Ran all the while. This only made Ran even more interested as Moca was never one to avoid eye contact in the past._

 _The past…_

 _Ran quickly shook her head to regain her composure, and just in time to hear what Moca was saying next._

 _"I have a favor to ask Ran."_

 _This caught her by surprise, not having expected that from Moca. Not only has it been a while since they had even talked to each other, but Ran was…_

 _Ran shook her head to keep those memories away, and instead tried to focus on the present._

 _"What is it?"_

 _Moca smiled at the response and was silent as well. Ran frowned, trying to imagine what it was that Moca was about to ask her when said woman confirmed everything for her._

 _"I know that this is sudden, but could I stay over at your place for a couple of days?" Moca finally asked, her gaze fixated on Ran as she spoke. Ran bit her lip, knowing that Moca knew what she was thinking. But before anyone could do anything, Moca had already resumed talking, "I've asked Tomo-chin, Tsugu, and Hi-chan, but nobody could spare a bed for little old me. So could Ran help me out~? I promise I will only stay here three days at most."_

 _"It's—" Ran began, trying to think of a way to get out of the situation. She had already opened her mouth halfway when she saw the look on Moca's face. More importantly, she saw the look in Moca's eyes, and that was all it took for Ran to flinch._

 _Moca was using those eyes on her._

 _Ran bit her lower lip, knowing full well that she had already lost. With a deep sigh, Ran finally relented, "I guess it can't be helped."_

* * *

"Mitake-san?"

Hearing her name get called so suddenly was all it took to bring Ran back to the real world. Looking up, she saw who she would have thought would be one of the last people she would run into today.

In front of her was another familiar face. A woman who looked like she was about Ran's height, she had long purplish hair that, Ran noted, were significantly shorter than she had last remembered it to be. Wearing a white blouse under a black vest and a black skirt, she smiled in Ran's direction.

"Minato-san…" Ran muttered as she finally recognized the other person. Sounding a bit distant and off herself, she added, "Fancy running into you here."

"Likewise," Minato Yukina nodded in agreement, a small smile still playing on her lips, urging Ran to turn to her. But what was that other emotion on her face? Before Ran could give it much thought, Yukina spoke again, "What brought you here, Mitake-san?"

"Just… looking around is all," Ran's response was distant, and Ran knew that Yukina saw that if that newly formed frown was anything to go by, "How about you, Minato-san?"

"Oh, don't mind me," Yukina smiled as she took a moment to look around, almost as if she was expecting somebody to be arriving there, "I am just waiting for Lisa."

"I see," Ran trailed off, having expected something like that. Even so, she couldn't help but feel something was off. That something was missing. Shrugging it off, Ran put both of her hands in her pockets and started walking again, "Then I will take my leave her. I would not want to intrude on Minato-san's day with her friend."

Ran walked past Yukina, half-expecting her to move. When she didn't, much to Ran's surprise, Ran continued to walk forward.

"Mitake-san."

Once again, it was Yukina's voice more than anything that got to Ran, and this was what led to Ran stopping beside Yukina. Both women were looking the other way, but neither was focused on anything other than the other. And they both knew each other well enough to realize this fact.

"I will apologize for speaking out of turn here, but I thought that you may need to hear this," Yukina began, successfully managing to keep Ran's attention focused on her. Ran, on her end, was at a loss as to what Yukina could be saying. Thankfully for her, she didn't have to wait long, "I am glad to see that you are alive and well and that everything turned out all right."

"I wouldn't say that 'everything turned out all—'" Ran tried, but she was interrupted before given the chance to finish her sentence.

"I disagree with you there, Mitake-san," Yukina continued calmly, almost as if Ran did not respond at all. Turning her head to Ran, Ran was shocked to see the sad smile on Yukina's face, "Even if you may not think so, everything turned out all right. What happened that day was not your fault, Mitake-san, and everybody is happy to see that you are back."

"How did you…?" Ran trailed off, eyes wide as she turned to Yukina in shock. Realization dawned upon the former vocalist almost at the exact same moment as Yukina opened her mouth again.

"The drummers of our bands are sisters, remember?" Yukina pointed out with a smile, and Ran fell silent as she didn't know what else she could say. Thankfully for her, Yukina broke the silence soon after, "And like your former bandmates, I am glad to see you again. Now if you were to excuse me…"

And Yukina was already gone before Ran knew what was going on.

* * *

Ran was tired. No, she was exhausted. After going her separate way from Yukina, she had been mindlessly walking through the city in the hopes that it could help her clear her mind. She found that it _did_ do something.

It made her realize just what was going on. What was _truly_ going on. And this scared her.

With the memories of times long past pushed to the back of her head, Ran pulled the hoodie up and walked inside the building.

"Welcome!" the cheerful voice coming from the direction of the cashier greeted Ran as she entered.

Ran spared a quick smile and nod in her direction before glancing at the many options in front of her. She wasn't used to doing this, but she also knew that this was the best way. Even so, with all of these different possibilities, how would Ran be able to choose the best?

"Do you perhaps need some assistance?" a warm voice came from Ran's voice and said woman took a hasty step back in shock. This caused the brunette to chuckle sheepishly, "Sorry sorry, I didn't mean to startle you. It's just that you look indecisive there for a second."

"It's okay," Ran muttered while avoiding eye contact. Taking another glance at the many products on display, Ran added, "But yes, I could use some help here. A friend of mine is staying over, and I wanted to surprise her."

"Well, what does your friend like?" the friendly cashier asked as she was already looking around to make a decent suggestion.

"I'm pretty sure she likes everything," Ran let out a soft chuckle, memories starting to come back to her. Happy memories. Before she got completely dragged off into her own world, Ran added, "Could you give me something that you would recommend?"

"Well, if that is the case…" the brunette trailed off as she frowned slightly in thought. Her eyes landed on a seemingly random tray and stopped. She walked over to it, picked up the tray and held it out in front of her for Ran to see, "Here, these are the customers' favorite. If your friend truly likes everything, then I am sure that she will like these as well."

"Thank you very much," Ran said gratefully as she picked one up and took out her wallet, "Then I will be taking this one, please."

"Sure!" the cashier smiled, taking the money that Ran gave her and returned Ran's purchased good in a paper bag. With another bright smile, she added, "Here you go. Have a nice day!"

"You too," Ran couldn't help but show a small smile of her own as she took the bag before leaving the store again.

Once outside and free of the smell of pastries and freshly-baked bread, Ran let out a breath she didn't know she was holding. Yes, the cashier was as nice as Ran remembered her, and she may not have recognized her as well, but being back there brought back memories as well.

"I just can't escape it…" Ran muttered to herself, but the warm feeling spreading through her arm caught her attention. Looking inside the bag to see what she had bought, Ran was smiling again before she knew it, "This is at least the first step."

And with that, Ran started the long walk back home a little bit more cheerful than how she got here.

* * *

"I'm home," Ran muttered to nobody in particular as she unlocked the door and stepped inside. Once inside, her hand moved from the door handle to the light switch to her right. As the light flooded in the room, the brunette slowly scanned the area.

That was when she saw it.

The motionless body of Aoba Moca was sprawled on the kitchen floor.

"Moca!"

Ran felt the familiar cold terror spread through her body before feeling her body move on her own. Within two seconds she was already by Moca, cradling her head and flinching how cold she felt.

"Moca!"

Ran tried everything to get a response from the usually reactive friend, but nothing worked.

"Moca, stay with me!"

And the terror that the former vocalist felt only grew exponentially by the second.

"Please! Moca!"

* * *

 **And that wraps up today's chapter. I hope you enjoyed it, please let me know what you thought of this chapter, and we'll see each other again next week. Take care!**


	5. The Path to the Future

**All right, picking right up from last time! Sorry for the delays that this chapter has been suffering lately.**

 **I do not own BanG Dream! nor do I, in any way, shape or form, intend to pretend that I do.**

* * *

 _"Moca!"_

 _Ran tried everything to get a response from the usually reactive friend, but nothing worked._

 _"Moca, stay with me!"_

 _And the terror that the former vocalist felt only grew exponentially by the second._

 _"Please! Moca!"_

* * *

"And that is what happened," Ran finished with an empty look in her eyes, making sure to avoid direct eye contact with the people around her. She didn't want to see the look in their eyes. She wasn't sure she could handle it. So, instead, she turned to look down the empty hallway.

About three hours had passed since Ran had arrived home and found Moca unconscious. Now, Ran was standing with her arms folded and leaning against the wall behind her as she had gotten her friends up to date with the recent events.

Because she was avoiding their gazes, however, Ran couldn't have seen the look that the remaining three former members of Afterglow shared with each other. It was Tsugumi who was first to break the silence.

"And… how is Moca-chan doing now?" the brunette asked, carefully eyeing the door behind her before turning to her childhood friends, "She is going to be fine, right?"

Tsugumi's question wasn't directly answered, and looking around she soon found out why. Tomoe and Himari were both looking the other way with a pained look in their eyes, and Ran was looking off into the distance with an empty look in hers.

The tense air between them lingered, and it wasn't until the four of them heard a door open that it dissipated slightly.

Looking up at the same time, the childhood friends all saw the man step out of the room, and all but rushed to ask him the same question.

"How is she?"

The doctor wiped off the sweat on his forehead before turning to the four waiting friends with a smile, "She is going to be fine, it is good that we managed to get her as quick as we did. She will still have to stay here a couple of days for recovery, however."

"That's a relief…" Himari breathed out with a smile, nods of agreement coming from the others. The man nodded and was about to take his leave when Himari realized something, "May we see her now?"

The man in white stopped to look at the four friends with a little frown, and all they could do was hope that it was because he was deep in thoughts. Much to their relief, he nodded after a couple seconds of contemplation.

"But only two at a time please, we wouldn't want to overwhelm miss Aoba now would we?" the doctor said with a smile before taking his leave, allowing them to decide on the next problem.

"So who is seeing her first?" Himari was first to bring up the question that was on everybody's mind as she turned to look at the other three before adding, "I mean, aside from Ran."

"Why me?" Ran asked before she realized what she was doing. The similar look that she received from all three of her friends was answer enough for the former vocalist of the band. Softly, and almost sheepishly, she muttered, "Right…"

With Ran convinced, the three remaining friends turned to each other in hushed whispers. Ran, while trying to appear indifferent towards the discussion, was trying to hear what they were saying. Unfortunately for her, she couldn't hear a thing.

After what could very well have been just a couple of minutes, the three nodded and Tomoe and Himari left. But not before saying their goodbyes to Ran and mumbling something about coffee.

This left Ran standing in front a convinced but slightly uncomfortable Tsugumi. Right before Ran was about to open her mouth to say something, Tsugumi looked up with a determined look in her eyes, "Well, Ran-chan… shall we?"

Ran could only nod meekly in response, but that was answer enough for Tsugumi. Following her friend, Ran watched as Tsugumi knocked on the door four times and waited.

 _"RAN!"_

Startled, Ran looked around with fear in her eyes, trying to find the source of the sound. She would've broken down had it not been for the two hands holding her shoulders and shaking her lightly.

"Ran-chan! Ran-chan!"

"…Tsugumi," Ran finally managed to breath out as she slowly started to regain her composure. Taking a couple of deep breaths, Ran tried to reassure her friend with a soft smile, "I'm all right now. Thanks."

"I know it is difficult for Ran-chan; we all do," Tsugumi began as she kept her grip on her friend's shoulders, "But that is why you have to do it. I'm sure that Moca-chan would want to know too. And what good is living in the past if you aren't in the present?"

That struck a chord with Ran, and the two fell silent for a while. As memories of times long past flashed through Ran's mind, she finally understood.

Ran finally understood why it was Tsugumi who went with her to see Moca.

"You're as amazing as ever," Ran said with a soft smile as she gently removed her friend's hands on her shoulders. Stepping past Tsugumi, Ran added, "Let's go, Tsugumi!"

"Ran-chan…" Tsugumi smiled as she realized what was happening, "Right!"

* * *

"She looks so peaceful like that, don't you think?" Tsugumi whispered as she looked at Moca's sleeping figure, the only sign that she was alive being the rising and falling of the blanket that she was under.

The room itself wasn't too big, not much bigger than Moca's room had been in the past as Ran could remember it. Even so, there was enough space to fit the hospital bed along with a couple of chairs and still have enough space to walk around.

On the nightstand by the bed stood a vase with a bouquet of flowers. Tsugumi frowned, trying to remember what those yellow flowers were called. She somehow thought of the daffodil and smiled when she recalled what Ran had once told her what they meant.

The curtains were open, allowing the two to see through the open window and feel the late afternoon breeze. This did help them calm their nerves, but it also left a rather sinister aura in the room.

With a sigh, Tsugumi turned to Ran, "Maybe we should come back at a later time and let Moca-chan rest some more. What do you think, Ran-chan?"

Without answering, Ran bend forward and inspected Moca's face for a couple of seconds, despite Tsugumi's urgings not to. Then, without warning, Ran poked Moca right under the jawbone. Hard.

"Ow… Ran… that's mean…" Moca whined as she rubbed the sore spot and sat up in bed, "Can't you let a hurt girl sleep in peace?"

"You may have been able to hide it from Tsugumi, but I know you too well," Ran said matter-of-factly as she stood back up again with her arms crossed, "You weren't even sleeping, and… we need to talk."

"Talk?" Moca echoed as she looked at Ran with a confused look in her eyes, "Talk about what?"

"I…" Ran trailed off, not knowing where to go with it when Tsugumi stepped up.

"Ran-chan wants to talk. About what happened four years ago," Tsugumi added quickly when she saw the confused look on Moca's face. Once the words left her mouth, Tsugumi took a couple steps back to give her friends some space.

If Tsugumi was hoping that a conversation would happen, she would be sorely disappointed. Instead, Moca decided to break the heavy silence after a couple of minutes had already passed.

"What's there to talk about?" Moca finally asked, originally directing the question to Ran but turning to look at Tsugumi before the end of the sentence had left her mouth, "Accidents happen, but it all ended up—"

"Don't."

The mere tone of the voice was enough to make both Moca and Tsugumi look up in shock. But nothing could have prepared them for what they saw.

For that single drop to fall on the ground and splatter into a million pieces. It was only the first of many.

"Ran?"

"Ran-chan!"

With Tsugumi supporting her, Ran turned to Moca while biting back her tears, "Don't tell me that everything is all right when it clearly isn't, just look at you now! Are you all right? No, you are not! Stop acting tough and face the facts that it isn't all right!"

"'Face the facts', huh… okay, Mitake Ran, then let me put it this way so you might understand," Moca responded in a very not-Moca-like way, catching both Tsugumi and Ran by surprise. Tsugumi was sure that even Tomoe would have flinched at either the tone of Moca's voice or the look in her eyes. Those eyes weren't Moca's anymore.

What caught them even more by surprise was what happened next.

With a lot of difficulties, as well as a couple of painful grunts, Moca had successfully thrown the blankets off of her and got on her feet. A bit wobbly, yes, but she was standing not long after. And she glared daggers at Ran.

It would be a lot more intimidating if she wasn't shorter than Ran…

"We're switching the roles here, so I am in your shoes and you are in mine," Moca resumed, her eyes never leaving Ran's as she enunciated each and every word very clearly for emphasis, "What would Ran do? You would do the same as what I did, wouldn't you? Despite knowing that it would likely hit you instead."

The silence that followed was Moca's only response, but it was answer enough for her. With an exhausted sigh, Moca finished, "If there's one of us who would do anything to protect anyone in Afterglow… it would be you. So Ran should know better than anyone that we would do whatever we can to protect each other."

Ran didn't reply, but instead looked away with clenched fists and gritted teeth. She couldn't deny that, as Moca was—

"I'm right, aren't I~?" Moca smirked triumphantly, finishing Ran's train of thoughts without even knowing that she did. Even Tsugumi showed a small smile of her own with that, making a definitive end to Ran's worries.

"The same as always," Moca continued without wasting a lot of time, gently holding on to Ran's shoulder, "So please don't beat yourself up over something that couldn't have gone any other way. Anyone in Afterglow would have done the same, and that goes double for Ran if it were anyone else. We're friends, we always have been, and friends look out for each other."

Before anyone knew what was happening, Ran had already launched herself at Moca and wrapped her arms tightly around her. It was almost as if she was afraid that if she didn't, one of the two would disappear. Again.

"I'm sorry, Moca… for everything…" Ran's words were greatly muffled, but Moca was still able to hear what was being said to her.

"I'm sorry too, Ran," Moca whispered in response, working hard to keep her own words audible as she concluded with, "So how about Ran and I start from the beginning again?"

Ran nodded.

And with the biggest burdens off of their shoulders, the only thing that mattered to the two was that they were together, that they were safe, and that this was the start of something new.

They didn't even realize that they had been alone in the room for quite some time.

"So, how did it go, Tsugu?" a familiar voice came from the corner right after Tsugumi silently closed the door with a smile.

"They've made up from what I could tell," Tsugumi responded cheerfully, eliciting smiles on her two friends as well. Accepting the cup that was offered to her with a grateful nod, she added, "There's only one thing left to do. Can I count on you two? Tomoe-chan? Himari-chan?"

"Of course!"

"Leave it to us!"

* * *

 **And that wraps up today's chapter! Oh… the feels while writing this were real. I hope you guys enjoyed it, please leave a review telling me what you think, and until next time! Take care!**


	6. What Followed After…

**And we're back with what should be the later parts of this story? Maybe one or two more chapters after this one depending on how things go? We'll see how it goes! I hope you guys enjoy this longer-than-usual read!**

 **Disclaimer's the same as always: if I actually did own BanG Dream!, then Afterglow as a whole would get more focus and love than it does now… poor Afterglow girls…**

* * *

"Ran."

"I know."

"You need to do this."

"I said, I know."

"You both need to fully understand what happened after that if you want to truly move on."

"Tomoe, I don't think—"

"Tomoe, I said I know!"

A deathly silence rang through the room as the two stubborn childhood friends faced each other, neither of them willing to break eye contact first. Poor Himari was stuck in between, not knowing what to do or say to try and ease the tension.

"N-Now now… we shouldn't fight—" Himari tried, but stopped to regret it when she felt the death glares more than that she saw them.

"Stay out of this, Himari."

"Yeah, this is between Ran and me, no need for you to get involved, too."

As Ran and Tomoe resumed their little stare-off again, the silence was only broken by the occasional whimper.

After what could very well have been hours, one of the two women finally gave in.

"All right." Tomoe huffed in defeat as she sat back down again. This prompted Ran to slowly take her seat back as well, albeit still slightly suspicious of the redhead. With a deep breath, Tomoe revealed the reason why she gave in so easily, "If you don't want to talk to Moca—"

"I didn't say that I didn't!"

"THEN you are going to talk to someone else, and you're going to _really_ talk to them." Tomoe continued, ignoring the interruption, using her tone of voice that conveyed to everyone around her that there was no room for negotiations to full effect. After a short period of silence, Tomoe turned to Himari who was visibly more at ease, "We'll be taking our leave first. Catch up when you are done."

"Okay~" Himari's response was a lot more cheerful, now knowing that the danger had been averted. With her approval given, Tomoe took Ran by the upper arm and almost dragged the shorter one out of the café.

A few moments of blissful silence followed as Himari took a joyful sip of her ice chocolate, wondering what to do next. That was when she realized something she probably should have realized sooner.

"Wait a second…" Himari's face paled as she looked around, noticing that she was all alone now with two half-empty cups of coffee in front of her, "Tomoe left me with the bill! Tomoeeee…"

* * *

"Where are we?" Ran asked her captor as she looked around. This neighborhood seemed familiar to her in a way, almost as if she had been here before, but she couldn't put her finger down as to why.

"Didn't I tell you?" Tomoe asked with a raised eyebrow as she turned around to look at Ran. When she saw the look on her friend's face, the natural redhead sighed before giving a reply, "I told you that you would be talking and since you refuse to talk with Moca about this—"

"That's!" Ran interrupted, biting her lower lip as she looked away. This caused Tomoe's gaze to soften a bit, and she had to strain her ears to be able to hear the next words that Ran muttered, "Not… as easy as it sounds."

"I know it isn't, Ran." Tomoe assured her friend as she placed a comforting hand on her shoulder, "But that is why I brought you here. I understand that talking with Moca is not an option right now and that Himari, myself or even Tsugu aren't who you are supposed to talk this out with, either. We all know that. That's why you're here. There is still someone who you can talk with about, well… everything, really. And she's a good friend's of Moca, too."

"Someone I can talk with… and a good friend of Moca…" Ran repeated as she tried to piece everything together. Then it hit her, and with wide eyes, she turned back to Tomoe, "Don't tell me—!"

Ran got interrupted when the door behind her opened, causing the two former Afterglow members to turn to look at the offender.

Standing right in front of the door was a tall woman with pale skin who looked very familiar to Ran, but Ran couldn't remember why. She was about as tall as Tomoe and her hair just as short, if not shorter, barely reaching below her ears. As she ruffled her own brown hair, possibly trying to get rid of the water in it as it looked quite damp still, she looked at the two with a bright smile.

"Ah, Tomoe, perfect timing!" the brunette greeted as she stepped aside in a way to let the two in, "Come in, come in. I still need to get something so I'll be right with you in a bit. Make yourself comfortable!"

"Sorry, but I promised Ako I'd drive her to Shirokane-san's place," Tomoe said with an apologetic smile. As she looked back to the brunette, she finished with, "I'm afraid I have to take my leave here."

"Ah, that's too bad…" came the response, though all three knew that there wasn't another way. After a short, slightly uncomfortable silence, the yet-to-be introduced brunette turned to Ran, "So, Mitake Ran, shall we?"

"How do you…?" Ran trailed off before directing her next couple of words to Tomoe who had yet to take her leave, "How does she…?"

"You didn't tell her yet?" the brunette asked Tomoe, half surprised and half amused.

"We had a bit of a… hard time convincing Ran that we were going here," Tomoe admitted with a sheepish chuckle, "So, no, we haven't yet."

"I see…" the brunette sighed with a small smile, "Well, Ran, I am an old friend of Minato Yukina, I'm sure you remember her. But that isn't what is important. What _is_ , however, is that I am also a good friend of Aoba Moca."

And that is when it hit Ran. The familiar brunette in front of her. She finally recognized her.

Ran didn't even need the formal introduction that followed to be sure anymore.

"The name's Imai Lisa! Just call me Lisa."

* * *

Ten minutes later, Ran found herself seated in the living room of the apartment that Lisa was living in. A cup of coffee and a plate full of freshly baked cookies in front of her, and Ran was actually content after a long time.

And then Lisa started talking.

"Tomoe and Himari must have at least have told you a little bit about what we're doing, right?" Lisa asked, slowly, clearly taking her time to make sure that she chose the right words. When she saw Ran nod, she let out a sigh of relief, "That's good. So, where do we start?"

"I don't want to be rude, Lisa-san," Ran began as she lowered her cup. After getting the okay to continue, she did, "But why did Tomoe bring me to you? I mean, I know that you and Moca are friends and all, but…"

"That Tomoe… she really didn't get to tell you much, did she?" Lisa laughed, leaving Ran to just sit there. After a couple of seconds had passed, Lisa began again, "Then I guess we'll start at the very beginning."

Ran nodded, thinking that she came here to talk but realized quickly that it might not be her to be doing the talking. She let the curiosity show as she visibly leaned forward in her seat on the couch.

"This all happened at the end of Moca's stay in the hospital after that day…" Lisa began, closing her eyes as she recalled the memories, but not before seeing Ran wincing at her own. Lisa made a mental note of that before starting her story.

* * *

 _Several years ago._

 _It was a bright day out, with the sun shining harshly on those unfortunate enough to not be protected from it. There were a couple people walking outside, but no clouds in the afternoon sky meant that there was barely any shade they could hide in._

 _But, a certain brunette thought as she turned away from the scene, at least it was warm out there._ _Inside the hospital room, it was anything but. And not only because a certain someone put the AC on at full blast…_

 _A Lisa whose hair was still the same length as back when Roselia first got together was sitting beside a hospital bed with a frown. She turned to the girl who lay in the bed and, very carefully, asked, "Are you sure?"_

 _"Yes. No matter what Tsugu, Hii-chan, or Tomo-chin said, I am sure," the girl with ivory-colored hair replied. Despite having been in the hospital for several weeks now, her voice was surprisingly determined. Something that Lisa did not miss._

 _"Well, what will you be doing now?" Lisa asked her friend as she kept her gaze on the shorter girl, "I mean after they've discharged you. What will you do? And where will you go?"_

 _"About that, Lisa-san…" Moca trailed off as she did something that Lisa wasn't expecting. With a grimace, Moca managed to sit up. After muttering a soft thank you to her senior who helped her keep her balance, Moca picked right back up where she left off, "This is the request of a lifetime, Lisa-san! Please let me stay at your place for a bit after I'm discharged, at least until I regain my strength."_

 _"…Okay." Lisa nodded with a smile after a while. Although she was hesitant at first, she knew she couldn't say no to Moca after she lowered her head like that. Not Moca of all people. The look on Moca's face when Lisa said that convinced her that she had made the right decision._

 _"Thank you so much, Lisa-san!" Moca tried to bow but winced when her still-broken arm hit the metallic railing. As Lisa rushed over to the other side of the bed to see if Moca was all right, the ivory-haired girl weakly waved her worries away, "I'm fine, I'm fine, just the shock of hitting it."_

 _"If you say so…" Lisa said, slightly uneasy as she didn't trust her friend completely. The sound of the crash aside, it was the look on Moca's grimaced face that worried her. In an effort to change the topic of conversation, Lisa tried again, "So you're staying at my place after this. What will you do after that? And about… Ran?"_

 _"I'm sure Tomo-chin already told you what happened, didn't she, Lisa-san?" Moca turned to face her senior who nodded in confirmation. With an exhausted sigh, Moca pulled her knees up to her chest and rested her chin on top. Despite knowing that this would muffle her voice, she continued, "But don't trust everything Tomo-chin said. Ran and Tomo-chin had a big fight right before the live, so she would have had her judgment affected."_

 _"A big fight?" Lisa repeated, shocked, before trying to remember something, "But they seemed like they were just fine during the live. I mean, not much different than usual, at least."_

 _"They made up the day before, but the aftereffects of the fight were still there. Even Hii-chan felt them, and if Hii-chan can feel them…" Moca trailed off with a sad chuckle, "But what I'm trying to get here is that Tomo-chin would have missed this. And, as it seems, so did Tsugu and Hii-chan."_

 _Lisa nodded, waiting patiently to hear from Moca what she thought the other members of Afterglow had missed that day. When Moca finally did tell her, Lisa's eyes widened wide in shock._

* * *

"Three days later, Moca got discharged from the hospital and she moved in with me for the next couple of months," Lisa continued, wrapping up her story as the image of Moca all banged up was still fresh in her memory, "We kept in contact after she left, and she even visited a couple of times. Each time, she would look a little better than before, which was a relief, but it was obvious that something was still missing."

Lisa took a deep breath as she paused her story, taking the opportunity to eat a cookie herself. Looking up, the brunette saw an uneasy but anxious-to-know-more Ran sitting on the edge of the couch. Lisa smiled seeing this, and a single thought crossed her mind.

 _'I guess you were right all along, Moca. There's only one more thing left for me to do to fulfill my promise to you. And then…'_

"What did Moca say?" Ran asked carefully. The tone of her voice caused Lisa to take another sip of her drink if only to hide the grin, though she knew she couldn't stall forever.

Lisa took as much time as she could possibly take to put her cup back on the table. Not to taunt Ran, but to give her the opportunity to pick the right words for this.

"Moca said, and I quote," Lisa said as seriously as possible, sitting up straight and looking Ran straight in the eyes. After a small pause, Lisa finished her sentence.

"Ran never ran away. She's more hurt than anyone, more than Tomo-chin… more than Tsugu and Hii-chan… more than even me. But someday… one day, she'll come back. I'll hold on to that until I can see her again."

Watching the change in Ran was all it took for Lisa to realize how right Moca was.

"Anyone else I know would have given up long ago, and by 'everyone else' I am also talking about Yukina." Lisa continued, knowing that she had to say this, but taking her time to make sure she chose the right words, "Moca was a mess even long after she got discharged, but she kept fighting to recover. And I finally fully understand why… she wanted to one day walk side-by-side with you again, no matter how far away that might still be. She wanted to be with you, Ran."

"Moca…" Ran managed to utter as she tried to desperately stifle the tears with the palms of her hands.

Lisa couldn't help but smile at the sight. From what she's heard of Moca, Ran and Yukina were a lot alike, so for Moca's words to cause this reaction out of Ran could only mean…

"Ran," Lisa said with a warm, gentle, and soft voice as she placed both her hands on Ran's shoulders. Lisa waited patiently until Ran regained some of her composure, and it was when Ran finally did that she continued, "You mean more than anything to Moca, and it is you who Moca kept fighting for. It is you who is the main reason why she managed to keep going until now."

"I know…" Ran muttered as she wiped her eyes dry. Once she regained her composure, Ran looked up to Lisa with a small smile, "Thanks, Lisa-san. Not just for telling this to me but also for what you must have done for Moca since."

"It was my pleasure!" Lisa grinned before gently pulling Ran on her feet, "Now why are you still here? Go! Moca is waiting!"

* * *

 **And that wraps up today's chapter! I hope you enjoyed it, please do leave a review telling me what you think, and until next time! Take care!**


	7. The Step Towards Tomorrow

**Well, the last chapter was a lot of fun to write! And what do you know? Here is another!**

 **I will come clean right here, though: I went through the other six chapters and made some small adjustments to it as there were some small contradictions in the minor details of several of them. Nothing _too_ big, but I felt uneasy knowing that these contradictions were there. I hope you can understand. So for anybody who re-reads this story (are there people like that out there?), you know why there might be some differences.**

 **Nope, I still don't own BanG Dream!… life's unfair, isn't it?**

* * *

"Thank you for coming on such a short notice."

"I mean…" Tsugumi trailed off as she turned to share a look with Tomoe and Himari. Both of them had the same look on their faces, telling the brunette that they didn't know why Ran had called them out either, "If Ran-chan asks us to see her, then it must be important, right?"

The four of them had agreed to meet at their usual meeting spot, the Hazawa Café. Interestingly enough, but not surprising any of them, they all ordered their comfort picks. This caused them all to sneakily share a couple smiles with each other when they noticed.

"I know I probably don't have the right to ask this—" Ran began, but stopped when she felt the look that a certain someone was giving her.

"How many times do we have to tell you?" Himari asked, somewhat tired but making it still sound somewhat polite. In the background, Tomoe couldn't help but smile as Himari continued, "We're your friends, and we look out for each other. If you're still worried about the past, then don't worry about it. You've more than made up for it all, Ran, and none of us are holding anything against you."

"Himari…" Ran breathed out thankfully before looking at her other two friends, both nodding in confirmation to show Ran that Himari wasn't the only one who felt that way. With a soft smile, Ran continued, "I have a big favor to ask all of you, and it involves Moca."

"A big favor and it involves Moca-chan…" Tsugumi repeated slowly as she tried to silently guess what Ran was going for. It was then that the brunette came to a conclusion, but she was beaten to actually voicing her discovery by somebody else.

"Ran, don't tell me—!" Tomoe exclaimed in shock as she kept her gaze fixed on Ran. When Ran didn't respond, Tomoe's unvoiced question was already answered for her. Both Tsugumi and Tomoe took this moment to let this revelation truly sink in.

This left the childhood friends in a period of prolonged silence, where Ran was still trying to regain her composure from admitting this and Tsugumi and Tomoe were still trying to take it all in.

However, they might have forgotten something as a result of this…

"Eh? Eh? Eh? What's going on? Why did everybody grow quiet suddenly?" Himari asked, slightly in a panic and to nobody in particular. This did help remind the other three that there were four people seated at their little table.

'Guess everybody really is still the same as always…' Ran thought to herself with a small smile as she rummaged through her purse. Tsugumi and Tomoe, both already sure as to what Ran was looking for, waited with bated breath while Himari just looked on curiously.

As Tsugumi and Tomoe had expected, Ran pulled out a certain item from her purse and gently placed it on the table.

"I-Is that…?" Himari asked as she pointed to it, with Ran nodding without sharing eye contact. Getting the confirmation to her question, Himari had to cover her mouth with both her hands to avoid the inhumane-sound from bothering the other customers… _too_ much.

"As-As I was saying…" Ran tried again after clearing her throat to get her friends' attention once again. After she made sure she stored the item back safely in her purse, Ran turned to all three of her friends one by one, "I need your help."

"To think Ran came to us to ask for our help," Tomoe said with a smirk but smiled warmly when Ran looked in her direction with a mild glare. Nodding in response, Tomoe added, "I'm in."

"I'm in, too!" Tsugumi announced with her signature nod before she turned to Himari, "And Himari-chan?"

Himari, not trusting herself to speak yet, simply nodded vigorously. This was enough answer for Ran, however, who couldn't help but smile.

She really was blessed with amazing friends, and she knew that one day… one day she'll repay them all somehow.

But for now…

"Thanks."

* * *

Several hours later, a certain ivory-haired woman looked up in content surprise when she saw who had come to visit her. As Ran took her seat by the bed, as usual, the two of them fell into an extended but comfortable silence.

It was Moca who finally decided to break the silence.

"You know…" the bedridden woman trailed off as she eyed her visitor with an almost perfectly-hidden smirk, "It almost feels unreal that I'm in the hospital again. Who would've guessed, huh Ran?"

"Yeah…" Ran said softly as she gently tucked the stray ivory locks on Moca's face away. For Ran, it felt even more unreal that she could do this after all these years. And that everything finally worked out for the both of them. With a smile, Ran added, "But this time, you'll have me. I'm not going anywhere this time."

"You better not!" Moca shot back playfully as she plopped back down on the soft cushions, "Moca-chan's gone four years without you, Ran better pay me back by staying with me from now on~"

"I wasn't planning on leaving this time." Ran reassured her as she looked out the hospital room's window. When Moca saw where Ran was looking at, she followed her gaze.

The sun was just about to set, and while the curtains were obscuring the view slightly, the orange light still managed to illuminate the room. For both Moca as well as Ran, this caused the two of them to remember the good old times.

For Moca, this helped to calm her as always. For Ran, this caused her to remember what her friends and seniors have been telling her in the past couple of days. As Ran recalled their words, she could also see their faces smile down upon her.

 _"Tsugu and Himari, and even Moca… I can talk in their names and say that none of us are holding it against you what happened that day."_

 _"But instead of separating yourself and making us worry, we'd rather you share your burdens with us. We're your friends, right?"_

 _"Everybody is happy to see that you are back."_

 _"You've more than made up for it all, Ran, and none of us are holding anything against you."_

 _"Ran never ran away. She's more hurt than anyone, more than Tomo-chin… more than Tsugu and Hii-chan… more than even me. But someday… one day, she'll come back. I'll hold on to that until I can see her again."_

 _"You mean more than anything to Moca, and it is you who Moca kept fighting for. It is you who is the main reason why she managed to keep going until now."_

Ran couldn't help but smile. She was so blessed, after all. And it was now more obvious than ever what she had to do. All that was left was to do it.

"Hey, Moca?"

Ran's voice felt like it came from far away, but it still caused Moca to look up in interest.

"Yes, Ran?" Moca asked, her voice dripping with the obvious curiosity. That look on Ran's face usually meant that Ran was about to do or say something big, but Moca couldn't think of anything that would trigger that face right now.

"When you're discharged again…" Ran trailed off, tucking at her collar uncomfortably. This, unfortunately for Ran, did not go unnoticed to a now smirking Moca, "There is somewhere I want to go with you."

Moca's smirk turned into a very wide grin before the bedridden woman leaned to the side and rested her head on Ran's shoulder. After a content sigh, Moca looked up to Ran, "Since Ran asked so nicely, there is no way that I can say 'no', right?"

Ran moved closer to Moca, and as she remembered what her friends told her earlier, she couldn't help but think the same thought over and over again.

 _'It's just a matter of time now…'_

* * *

On the late-afternoon of Moca's discharge, Ran made sure to be waiting in the hospital's lobby for the ivory-haired woman.

When Moca finally did show up, Ran was ready. Slightly uneasy, but ready.

"Did everything go well?" Ran asked Moca when she joined her by the hospital entrance.

"Yup, Tsugu did a Super Tsugud job at preparing all the paperwork in advance, I should really thank her soon." Moca nodded happily, as both of them made a mental note to do that when they would meet Tsugumi again.

Moca, despite still walking a bit slower than she usually does, was keeping up with Ran. She at least _looked_ like she was fully recovered already, Ran noted as she eyed her friend subtly, but—

"Don't worry, Ran~" Moca tried to reassure Ran, startling her slightly as she didn't realize that Moca noticed Ran's worried looks, "The doctors told me that as long as I take it easy for the coming few weeks and rest well that I will be as good as new~"

"I see… that's good news." Ran smiled, causing Moca to smile right back at her. But then Ran took her moment to put on a mock-frown, "But if you're starting to feel tired, say so, all right?"

"O~kay~"

The two of them fell into a comfortable silence as they kept walking down this familiar road. After a couple of minutes, Moca asked to sit down, so the two of them looked for an empty bench to rest.

No longer standing, both Ran and Moca could enjoy the view of the setting sun more. A gentle yet cool breeze rustled the overhead leaves while also caressing their skin. While the breeze caused a shiver to run down their spines, it also helped calm them down. And for especially one of the two, this was something she really needed right now.

"There's something… something I have to tell you…" Ran began after the two of them had been seated for a while. Moca looked up, curious, causing Ran to continue, "I met Lisa-san the other day, and she told me more about what you went through after… after that day… and I'm sorry."

"Ran…"

"You're wrong on one thing, though… I _did_ run." Ran admitted with her hands clenched into fists. Angry at herself. Angry at what she did. And, most importantly, angry at what she made everybody else go through because of her.

Ran was shocked to feel more than see the warm hands that held hers.

"Ran didn't, and it wasn't your fault." Moca tried to reassure her with a smile, though the smile faltered slightly when Ran shook her head.

"It was supposed to hit me, not you or anyone else. Being close to me would get everybody hurt, so the only way to keep them safe would be to stay far _far_ away from everyone…" Ran said with a clear undertone of pain in her voice. Moca herself deflated as well upon hearing that; it did sound a lot like something Ran would do, Moca noted with a pang of sadness in her heart.

"… is how I used to think."

Moca looked up in shock to see Ran smiling at her, and was about to say something but was beaten to it.

"Like how Lisa-san said that you said that I was your main goal to keep moving forward, the reverse can be said about me." Ran admitted, her face slightly more red than it usually is, but she kept going. She knew she had to, "I know I don't have the right to be saying this, but Moca kept me grounded. Remembering what happened to you managed to remind me that I still owed you. I owe you my life."

"Ran…"

"And… And since Moca was willing to give her life for me, I'll give mine to you…" Ran said, startling Moca as the words left her mouth. Ran managed to startle Moca more, however, when she took out a familiar small box from her pocket and kneeled down on the path. With a deep breath, Ran continued, "Aoba Moca, will you marry me?"

* * *

 **I guess this is a good point to end the chapter, don't you think? Please leave a review telling me what you think of today's chapter and until next time for the final chapter! Take care!**


	8. Epilogue

**And here we are with the final chapter of this story. I hope you all enjoyed the ride, and get ready for the finale!**

 **For the last time this story: no, I do not own BanG Dream! nor do I, in any way, shape or form, intend to pretend that I do.**

* * *

 _"You didn't tie it correctly," a teasing yet gentle voice shook Ran back to her senses, but the vocalist relaxed when she processed who had said those words to her, "Here, let me help you."_

 _Looking to her right, Ran saw the focused look on the guitarist's face as she loosened the scarf around her right arm before retying it again. Making sure to tie it tightly but not too tight, the guitarist nodded in satisfaction when she finally let go of Ran's arm._

 _"Thanks, Moca," Ran muttered, soft enough to prevent the other three from hearing her but clear enough for the retreating guitarist to do so. Picking up her own guitar, Ran turned to all four of her waiting friends with a determined look, "All right, it's time. Let's go!"_

 _"Right!" a chorus of agreement came from the other members as they all got into position behind the lowered curtains._

 _This was it. Their final live before they would all go their own way for their respective universities. They all knew how important this one live was going to be, and that it was their way of saying goodbye after spending all this time together at the same school._

 _With a deep breath to calm down her nerves, Ran stepped up. But that when she noticed something. Her hands were trembling. Was it from excitement at the prospect of playing live again or was it from the nerves? Why was she feeling so nervous, though, if that was the case? It wasn't like it was their first live._

 _Far too soon, the five members of Afterglow were given the signal that the curtains were being raised, and not long after that they actually were. As the curtains rose up, the five girls could slowly but surely see the crowd that was patiently awaiting them._

 _And what a crowd it was!_

 _Practically the entire school was present, and the first one Ran noticed in the crowd was Tomoe's little sister cheering wildly at the front with her black-haired friend close by. But it wasn't just the two of them that Ran saw, as she also saw several alumni in the audience as well. Among these were that brunette that worked part-time with Moca in the convenience store as well as that blue-haired prodigy guitarist she had been hearing a lot about. Seeing them here brought a smile on Ran's face, happy and honored to see that they came all this way to watch their live. For them._

 _"Thank you all for coming," Ran began as she looked at everybody there, every pair of eyes turned to focus on the vocalist. The Ran of a couple years ago would have faltered at even a fraction of the attention that she was getting, but now was different. This was different._

 _Taking a moment to look around at the people Ran had been calling her best friends effectively her entire life, she turned back to the mic in front of her. With a deep breath, she smirked and announced the title of the first song that they would be playing, "That Is How I Roll!"_

 _A chorus of cheers came from the crowd that reverberated through the room causing all members of Afterglow to smile. They were really blessed to have such a following._

 _And now came the time to give back to their following._

 _"Here we go!" Ran announced as she put her hands in position, ready to play the first chords of their song. Ran heard Tomoe's voice count down behind her, and knew that the time was nearing._

 _What happened next went too fast for Ran to fully process._

 _The sound of several heavy things falling. Many screams of fear. Two pairs of hands pushing Ran to the side. A familiar voice shouting, "Ran! Look out!"_

 _And then the crash._

 _The crash that echoed through the whole building. The crash that silenced everything else._

 _Ran was still dazed from the fall on the wooden stage a couple seconds later, but even she knew that something big happened while she was down. She struggled to sit up as fast as she could to see what did, but she almost wished she had just remained lying on the floor._

 _"No…"_

 _Three iron beams had fallen from the ceiling, impaling the ground where Ran had been standing on had she not been pushed away. Ran let out a sigh of relief that she was safe, but that was when she noticed something else._

 _The iron beams may not have struck Ran, but they did strike somebody else._

 _By the time Ran had taken the scene in front of her, the rest of Afterglow and even some members of the crowd had already rushed forward to see if they could do anything to help._

 _"Ako!" Ran could hear Tomoe call out to her little sister who nodded in confirmation that she had heard her, "Go get help! Now!"_

 _"Right!" Ako nodded before she hurried off, her black-haired friend that was always with her close behind._

 _"Moca-chan…" Tsugumi breathed out, her hands covering her mouth and her eyes welling up with tears. Ran had the same reaction as the keyboardist._

 _Moca was lying face-down on the ground, exactly where Ran was standing earlier. The iron beams had crushed Moca from her knees down, and the girl was gritting her teeth in pain. A small puddle of red liquid started to form from the bottom-half Moca's prone body, but it was increasing in size at an alarming rate._

 _"Everyone, raise the beams on three! Himari, Tsugu, pull Moca out of there as soon as it is high enough!" Tomoe called out instructions to everybody around her, receiving nods of understanding from them all. As everybody got into their respective positions, Tomoe started counting, "On three! One! Two! NOW!"_

 _With a lot of effort and the help of everybody around them, Tomoe managed to lift the iron beams high enough for Himari and Tsugumi to pull Moca out from underneath. Moca almost immediately passed out as soon as she was free, and everybody let out a sigh of relief that the biggest danger had been averted._

 _Everybody except for one person._

 _Ran could only watch in horror, her body unwilling to move the way she wanted it to. And the sight of Moca getting hurt in her place was—._

* * *

"Ran?"

The voice shook Ran out of her daze, and she looked around to remember where exactly she was.

"You look a little out of it, are you okay?" Tomoe asked with a worried look on her face. The others present shared a similar look of concern as they all eyed Ran carefully.

"I'm fine, just… spaced out a little, I guess…" Ran admitted softly as she took another sip of her coffee to wake up. This seemed to ease their worries as they soon decided to drop the matter at hand entirely, something that Ran appreciated greatly.

Currently, the five childhood friends were seated at the best seats of Tsugumi's family café. Each of them was relishing the fact that they could finally be together as a complete group of five after four years of separation in their own unique way.

"Ah, Tsugumi-san! Everyone! I'm sorry for the wait!" a gentle voice called out as an old friend of Tsugumi back from their high school days came by their table. As the white-haired woman gently placed the orders on the table, not even asking who wanted what as she already knew, she listed them all out with a bright smile, "Three honey lemon cheesecakes… two berry pancakes… and another glass of iced green tea. If there is anything else, feel free to call in. Enjoy!"

"Thanks, Eve-chan!" Tsugumi smiled appreciatively as her white-haired friend bowed before rushing off to get another order. Tsugumi then eyed her pancakes hungrily but was stopped from devouring them by Himari who pulled the plate away without a word. With a defeated sigh, Tsugumi muttered, "I know I know… I'm sorry…"

"We can all enjoy our orders soon, Tsugu, but we have to do something before that, right?" Himari tried to comfort the brunette with a couple pats on the shoulder. When she felt she had done a good enough job at that, Himari took her glass and raised it high into the air, "To Ran's and Moca's engagement! Ei! Ei! Oh!"

Surprising Himari, four other, similar cheers came from her table soon after. With a face that bordered between joy in shock, and directing her question mainly towards Ran and Tomoe, Himari said in a daze, "You actually did it…"

"So… Ran, Moca, what are you two going to do now?" Tomoe asked the two hurriedly, desperate to move the focus away from herself. In the background, they could hear a certain brunette enjoying the treats of her family café wholeheartedly.

"We… haven't really thought about that yet…" Ran admitted with a sheepish smile as her partner was taking another sip of her drink. With a sigh, she added, "Just moving in together… and we were planning to just go from there."

"If that's the case, then we have an idea to celebrate the occasion," Himari announced cheerfully as she turned to Tsugumi and Tomoe, both looking slightly surprised. When Himari turned to look at Ran and Moca, she received similar reactions. This did dampen her spirits a little, "Oh come on, what's with the long faces?"

"Himari." Tomoe began, apparently being the first to be ready to say something, "Shouldn't Ran and Moca be the one to decide that?"

"I… agree with Tomoe-chan; sorry, Himari-chan." Tsugumi chimed in soon after. Turning to face Ran and Moca, she continued, "Ran-chan? Moca-chan? What do you two think?"

"I'll go with whatever Ran decides~" Moca replied casually with a small shrug, eyeing the ring on her finger with a smile before turning to the person on her right curiously, "So what will it be, Ran?"

Ran was quiet as she looked down while trying to come up with her answer. Ran could feel the stare of four pairs of eyes on her, and she could have sworn that a fifth pair was focused on her as well.

It didn't take long for Ran to come to her answer. Or, rather, to say something.

"But what if—?" Ran began, but she was interrupted when a different voice joined the conversation.

 _"Yes, Onee-chan?"_

"Say, Ako…" Tomoe trailed off, having placed the phone in the middle of the table with the loudspeakers on so everybody could follow along, "Doesn't your university's campus have an outdoor stage for live performances? Do you think we could rent it for a live if they do?"

 _"That's right, we do. I can ask if I can reserve it for you if you want me to, Onee-chan!"_

"Thanks, Ako, that would be great. I'll be counting on you then." Tomoe smiled before turning off her phone. Once she pocketed it again, Tomoe turned to Ran with a serious look on her face, "Ran, none of us will make you do this if you really don't want to. But if even a part of you does, then we are all up for it. All of us are."

"Did you know about this?" Ran asked Moca, who nodded in confirmation.

"Hii-chan and Tomo-chin told me about it a couple days before I got discharged," Moca recalled with a small smile. Then, with a warm and reassuring hand on Ran's shoulder, she continued, "And I think you should, Ran. You have come so far since that day, and you have finally forgiven yourself. I think this is the final thing you have to do to make peace with yourself. With your past. To truly accept it and move on from it."

Ran took her time to share eye contact with all four of her childhood friends before making up her mind. Eventually, though, she sighed deeply.

What she really wanted… there was no doubt in her mind, she knew exactly what she wanted. As memories, _happy_ memories flashed through her mind, Ran knew. The answer to her friends' question was obvious even before they had asked it.

"All right. Let's do it."

* * *

Several weeks had passed since they had made their decision in the Hazawa café, and the five members of the former Afterglow had been practicing every waking moment since. It wasn't just any live that they were about to do; it was _the_ live that would finally put an end to the problems that they had all been facing for so long. The live that would wrap up their past and open up the path to their future.

Himari had, with the help of a handful of friends, made outfits that matched those they wore on their first ever live. Tsugumi and Tomoe, with the help of Ako and her friends in the university, had managed to gather as many people to watch the live as possible. Even Ran and Moca pitched in, informing old friends of their upcoming performance and inviting them to come watch it.

And today was the fated day.

With everybody ready on the stage, Himari waved the other members over for a last-minute huddle before they started, "Well, this is it! Is everybody ready?"

"We all are…" Ran breathed out, still slightly disbelieving that they came to this point once again. The looks on her long-time friends, however, managed to remove any nerves that Ran had, and she smiled.

"Afterglow is back and we're about to show everybody!" Tomoe picked right back up before finishing it all up, "Let's give it our all!"

"Yeah!"

The five members of the recently revived Afterglow quickly hurried off to their respective positions. As Ran looked at all her friends who had been supporting her after almost two decades, she nodded when they all nodded at her one by one.

It was finally time. And Ran knew that she was, after four long years, finally ready.

"Thank you all for coming today, everybody." Ran began as she held the microphone, instantly silencing the huge crowd. The whole field was filled with people anticipating Afterglow's first live in years, contrary to what the members had been expecting. Ran locked eyes with a certain rival-turned-friend in the audience, and the both of them shared a smile before Ran continued.

"As some of you may know, we went on a bit of a hiatus four years ago after I lost my way." Ran continued, gaining some surprised looks from the other members and even some people in the crowd, but Ran kept going, "But it's thanks to the other members that I'm back. That I found myself again and why we're here in front of you all today."

"And that is why we have dedicated this first song for this special occasion!" Ran finished as she shifted her guitar slightly in her hands. It was time to make it official, and Ran knew that she was ready. With a deep breath, she announced the title of the first song that they would be playing; much like four years ago, "Scarlet Sky!"

With that announcement made, the five members of Afterglow, finally together again after four long years, played like they have never played before. In front of a roaring and cheering crowd, all five of them knew.

The shadows of the past have finally lifted, and this marked a new beginning. A new beginning not just for them as individuals but as a group as well.

The future for them all started to brighten up.

* * *

 **So that's it for _The Times We Lost_. I hope you all enjoyed it, please do leave a review on your way out, and I will wish you a very pleasant day.**

 **Special thanks go to ReiTheMegaMawile and LightZephyr for being consistent reviewers to this story, as well as Namitaa776 and eseukei for leaving at least one review throughout this story's progress. Also to everybody who put this story on their favorite and/or follow list! And, finally, to everybody who read this story!**


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